Ajinkya Rahane, who led India to a famous Test series win in Australia in 2020-21, is currently not part of the national team. Despite playing for Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy, he hasn’t given up on his goal to play 100 Tests for India.
For the unversed, the last time Rahane played for India was in July 2023 during the West Indies tour. He is currently leading the Mumbai team in the Ranji Trophy.
Ajinkya Rahane Wants To Make A Comeback In Team India
Meanwhile, after Mumbai secured their second consecutive outright victory in the competition, Rahane, in an interaction with reporters, said:
“My goal is to secure both the Ranji Trophy and the bigger objective of playing in 100 Test matches,”
He added: “I’m focused on performing well for Mumbai and taking each game one step at a time.”
His commitment and enthusiasm towards the game are clear as he continues to play for Mumbai in domestic cricket, away from the international cricket focus, putting in the daily effort. Following a strong Ranji season last year, he earned a place back in the Indian Test team for the WTC final against Australia, and he aims to achieve a similar comeback.
Just like Rahane, Cheteshwar Pujara, a seasoned Test player, is striving to rejoin the national team. Although he scored a double century in his recent match, the selectors didn’t include him in the squad for the first two Tests against England.
The BCCI has moved on to the next generation of batters to fill the shoes of Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara. However, in the two Tests in South Africa, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, and Shreyas Iyer struggled to make an impact.
The special thing about the two experienced middle-order players was that they were good at playing in tough conditions in South Africa, New Zealand, England, and Australia.
When asked about what it takes to succeed at the highest level, Rahane answered:
“It’s all about the mindset. Your game doesn’t suddenly change. In the end, the batter has to watch the ball and play. But it’s about mindset when you over there… what you are thinking… that is different for each individual. How you prepare, the process you follow… all those small things matter. You just can’t think about just batting and bowling. At the international level, your mindset should be right. How strong you are mentally is important as well. How you handle pace, how you handle failure. All these things matter.”
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